The following is the summary of the Swiss National League in the 1965–66 football season, both Nationalliga A and Nationalliga B. This was the 69th season of top-tier and the 68th season of second-tier football in Switzerland.
Overview The Swiss Football Association (ASF/SFV) had 28 member clubs at this time which were divided into two divisions of 14 teams each. The teams played a double round-robin to decide their table positions. Two points were awarded for a win, and one point was awarded for a draw. The top tier (NLA) was contested by the top 12 teams from the previous 1964–65 season and the two newly promoted teams Urania Genève Sport and Young Fellows. The champions would qualify for the 1966–67 European Cup and the last two teams in the league table at the end of the season were to be relegated.
The second-tier (NLB) was contested by the two teams that had been relegated from the NLA, Bellinzona and Chiasso, the ten teams that had been in third to twelfth position last season and the two newly promoted teams St. Gallen and Blue Stars. The top two teams at the end of the season would be promoted to the 1967–68 NLA and the two last placed teams would be relegated to the 1967–68 Swiss 1. Liga.
The Swiss champions received a slot in the 1966–67 European Cup and the Cup winners a slot in the 1966–67 Cup Winners' Cup. FC Zürich won the championship and also won the Swiss Cup. Thus they won the double for the first time in the club's history. They participated in the European Cup the following season and the slot in the Cup Winner's Cup was passed on to Servette as losing finalist.
Nationalliga A Teams, locations Team Based in Canton Stadium Capacity FC Basel Basel St. Jakob Stadium FC Biel-Bienne Biel/Bienne Stadion Gurzelen Grasshopper Club Zürich Zürich Hardturm FC Grenchen Grenchen Stadium Brühl FC La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds Centre Sportif de la Charrière FC Lausanne-Sport Lausanne Pontaise FC Lugano Lugano Cornaredo Stadium FC Luzern Lucerne Stadion Allmend Servette FC Geneva Stade des Charmilles FC Sion Sion Stade de Tourbillon Urania Genève Sport Genève Stade de Frontenex BSC Young Boys Bern Wankdorf Stadium FC Young Fellows Zürich Zürich Utogrund FC Zürich Zürich Letzigrund
Final league table
Results
Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals 1 Rolf Blättler Grasshopper Club 28 2 Lambert Theunissen Young Boys 27 3 Pierre Kerkhoffs Lausanne-Sport 21 4 Robert Hosp Lausanne-Sport 20 5 Fritz Künzli Zürich 18
Attendances
Source:
# Club Average attendance Highest attendance 1 Zürich 11,746 20,000 2 Young Boys 9,423 14,500 3 Young Fellows 7,477 18,500 4 Lausanne 6,438 22,000 5 Basel 6,200 10,000 6 Lugano 6,115 10,000 7 Servette 5,822 14,838 8 GCZ 5,538 20,000 9 Luzern 5,208 11,400 10 Biel-Bienne 4,462 10,000 11 Grenchen 4,154 7,500 12 La Chaux-de-Fonds 4,077 11,000 13 Sion 3,923 10,000 14 UGS 2,485 6,100
Nationalliga B Teams, locations Team Based in Canton Stadium Capacity FC Aarau Aarau Stadion Brügglifeld FC Baden Baden Esp Stadium AC Bellinzona Bellinzona Stadio Comunale Bellinzona FC Blue Stars Zürich Zürich Hardhof SC Brühl St. Gallen Paul-Grüninger-Stadion FC Cantonal Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Stade de la Maladière FC Chiasso Chiasso Stadio Comunale Riva IV FC Le Locle Le Locle Installation sportive - Jeanneret FC Moutier Moutier Stade de Chalière FC Porrentruy Porrentruy Stade du Tirage FC Solothurn Solothurn Stadion FC Solothurn FC St. Gallen St. Gallen Espenmoos FC Thun Thun Stadion Lachen FC Winterthur Winterthur Schützenwiese
Final league table
Further in Swiss football 1965–66 Swiss Cup 1965–66 Swiss 1. Liga
References
Sources Switzerland 1965–66 at RSSSF